[Mogharaja:]Twice now, O Sakyan, I've asked you, but you, One with vision, haven't answered me. When asked the third time the celestial seer answers: so I have heard. This world, the next world, the Brahma world with its devas: I don't know how they're viewed by the glorious Gotama. So to the one who has seen to the far extreme, I've come with a question: How does one view the world so as not to be seen by Death's king?

[The Buddha:]View the world, Mogharaja, as empty — always mindful to have removed any view about self.

This way one is above & beyond death. This is how one views the world so as not to be seen by Death's king.

The Venerable Mogharaja:"Twice have I asked Sakka [1] but the Seeing One has not answered me. I have heard a divine sage replies when asked a third time. I do not know the view of the greatly famous Gotama concerning this world, the next world and the Brahma-world with its deities. To him of supreme vision I have come with a question: how should one regard the world so that one is not seen by the King of Death?"

The Lord:"Look upon the world as empty,[2] Mogharaja, ever mindful; uprooting the view of self you may thus be one who overcomes death. So regarding the world one is not seen by the King of Death."

Notes

1. The name "Sakka" is used here as a title for the Buddha. It means, "a man of the Sakya clan." The Buddha is also sometimes called Sakyamuni, "the sage of the Sakyas."

2. In the Samyutta-nikaya (vol. iv, p. 54) the Venerable Ananda asks: "How is the world empty, venerable sir?" And the Lord replies: "Because, Ananda, it is empty of a self or what belongs to a self, therefore it is said, 'the world is empty.'"http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html

The "world," here and elsewhere, is not to be understood in the way we usually think of it, but is defined as the five aggregates (khandha) of material form, feeling, perception, activities and consciousness, or as the eye and visible objects, the ear and sounds, etc., that is to say, the whole of our subjective and objective experience.

Twice I asked the Sakyan, said venerable Mogharàja,but the Visionary did not answer me, [1]if (asked) up to a third time the Divine Seer answers, I have heard.

This world, the other world, the Brahma world with its Gods:one does not know what view of this the reputable Gotama has.

So, to the One With Excellent Sight, I have come in need with a question:Looking on the world in what way does the king of Death not see (one)?

Look on the world as empty, [2] Mogharàja, being always mindful.Having removed (wrong) view of self, in this way one will cross beyond Death.When looking on the world in this way the king of Death does not see (one).

Notes

[1] Mogharàja had tried to ask his question earlier on two occasions, but understanding that he was not ready, the Buddha accepted other questions first, giving him a chance to mature.

[2] This is one of the earliest references to sunnata, which was to play such an important role in the Mahayana teachings.

The last two sections of the Sutta Nipāta, namelyAṭṭhakavagga and Pārāyanavagga, abound in extremely deepsermons. In the Pārāyanavagga, for instance, we find theBrahmin youth Mogharāja putting the following question tothe Buddha: Kathaṃ lokaṃ avekkhantaṃ, maccurājā na pas-sati? "By looking upon the world in which manner can oneescape the eye of the king of death?" The Buddha gives the an-swer in the following verse:

"Look upon the world as void,Mogharāja, being mindful at all times,Uprooting the lingering view of self,Get well beyond the range of death,Him who thus looks upon the world,The king of death gets no chance to see."

From this we can infer that the entire Dhamma, evenlike the world system itself, inclines towards voidness. Thisfact is borne out by the following significant quotation inthe CūḷaTaṇhāsaṅkhayasutta [MN 37], cited by Sakka as an aphorismgiven by the Buddha himself: Sabbe dhammā nālaṃ ab-hinivesāya. Though we may render it simply as "nothingis worth clinging on to", it has a deeper significance. The wordabhinivesa is closely associated with the idea of entering intoor getting entangled in views of one's own creation. The impli-cation, then, is that not only the views as such, but nothing atall is worthwhile getting entangled in. This is suggestive of theemptiness of everything.

It's interesting there are subtle differences in how the translators convey the "view of self," each making significant implications:

Ven. Thanissaro:

View the world, Mogharaja, as empty — always mindful to have removed any viewabout self.

(Seems like Ven. Thanissaro made sure that the view of "no self" will be included.)

John D. Ireland:

"Look upon the world as empty,[2] Mogharaja, ever mindful; uprooting the view of self you may thus be one who overcomes death. So regarding the world one is not seen by the King of Death."

(Seems like it's only the view of self.)

Ven. Anandajoti:

Look on the world as empty, [2] Mogharàja, being always mindful.Having removed (wrong) view of self, in this way one will cross beyond Death.

("Wrong" in parentheses, implying that there is a right view of self, which would be OK to keep.)

Ven. Nanananda:

"Look upon the world as void,Mogharāja, being mindful at all times,Uprooting the lingering view of self,Get well beyond the range of death,Him who thus looks upon the world,The king of death gets no chance to see."

(Seems ambiguous enough... so that "no self" could be considered as a lingering view of self.)

"any view about self" would cover the "six self-views" which arise as a result of inappropriate intention, so I think that's warranted:

As he attends inappropriately in this way, one of six kinds of view arises in him: The view I have a self arises in him as true & established,

or the view I have no self...

or the view It is precisely because of self that I perceive self...

or the view It is precisely because of self that I perceive not-self...

or the view It is precisely because of not-self that I perceive self arises in him as true & established,

or else he has a view like this: This very self of mine — the knower which is sensitive here & there to the ripening of good & bad actions — is the self of mine which is constant, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change, and will endure as long as eternity.

mikenz66 wrote:In the translation referred to above the passage that Ven Nanananda is referring to is translated as:

Here, king of gods, the bhikkhu becomes learned, that anything is not suitable to settle in.

Perhaps someone can give us the Nanamoli/Bodhi translation.

Mike

Here, king of the gods, a bhikkhu learns that nothing is worth adhering to.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]